Starting mechanism for internal combustion engines



March 14, 1933. Y SEKELLA 1,901,267

STARTING MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 30, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l [N VENTOR -A QTTOY RNE I BY 30km March 14, 1933. SEKELLA I 1,901,267

STARTINC- MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 30, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY mm SW A TTOKNE March 14, 1933. Y. SEKELLA I STARTING- MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 30, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 11v VEN Tole yaw/ton fi/e/oeco- Patented Mar. 14, 1933 UNE'EED STATES ATENT- oFFicE YOUSTON SEKELLA, OF ELMIR-A HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 ECLIPSE MACHINE COM PANY, 0F ELMIRA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK STARTING MECHANISM ron rnrnnivar. COMBUSTION-ENGINES:

Application filed June 30,

This invention relates to starting mechanism for internal combustion engines and more particularly to a manual shiftor device for moving a starter pinion into mesh 5 with an engine gear, with provisions for automatically demeshing the pinion when the engine starts. p

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel starting mechanismjof the above type which is economical to manufacture, easy to assemble, and eflicient and reliable in operation.

Another object is to provide such a device which may be arranged to occupy very little space especially in a longitudial direction, thus increasing the strength and rigidity of the drive while reducing its weight. v 1

A further object is to provide such a device in which the parts are interlocked by V the operat1on of assembly thereof, thus eliminating the necessity for screws or other threaded retaining members and requiring no special tools for assembly.

Another object is to provide such adevice in which the arrangement is such that the mounting of the pinion shift assembly on the driving shaft causes the parts of the shift assembly to be locked together.

Another object is to provide such a. device in which the pinion is arranged to be mounted directly on a smooth shaft, thereby enabling the use of apinion of small diameter, providing a high gear reduction for driving the engine member.

A still further object is to provide such a device in which the shift assembly may be constructed largely of pressed metal parts;

and no special form of thread or expensive machining operation is required.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is. a similar view on a somewhat reduced scale showing the parts in driving position;

1931. Serial in). 548,019.

the driving pinion demeshed by the overrunning action of the engine member;

Fig. 4 a view similar tel-Fig. 2 showing the parts in thep'ositio ns assumed when a tooth of the pinion abuts end to end against 1 a tooth of the flywheel member; I

V Fig. 5 is an expanded perspective view of the parts of the shift assembly; and

' Fig. 6 is a'section on the line 6-6 of Fig.1.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings there is illustrated a. starting motor 10 which is provided with a power shaft in the form of an ex tended armature shaft 11 having a splined portion 12 and a smooth portion 13. The

outer end of the smooth portion 13 is preferably mounted in a suitable outboard bearing 14 formed in a housing 16 suitably fixed to the frame of the motor 10 and having a flange 17 adapted for mounting the starting motor assembly in operative relation to a a member 18 such as the flywheel gear of the engine to be started;v

A collar 19 is arranged to be splined upon 7 the splined portion 12 of the power shaft 11. An actuating member in the form of an internally threaded barrel 3 member 21 is mounted at one end on the collar 19, being retained thereon by one or 'more radially extending pins 22 which traverse registering openings 23 and 24 in the collar and barrel respectively. -The openings 23 are preferably made of larger diameter than the open ings 24, .and the pins 22 are prevented from moving outwardly from their locking position by the engagement of the shoulders 26 thereon with the interior surface of the barrel 21. Inward displacement of the pins 22 is prevented by the power shaft 11 when the shift assembly is mounted thereon.

A driving member in the form of a pinion 27 is loosely mounted on the smooth portion 13 of the power shaft lland is provided at one end with'teeth 28 adapted to be moved into and out of driving engagement .7 with the teeth 29 of the engine member 18. The pinion27 is provided atits other end with externalthread's 31 whereby the pinion may be threaded into the barrel 21. I

Means are provided 'for maintaining: the

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing threaded connection between. the pinion and I barrel comprising a retaining member in the form of a thimble 32 encircling the outer end of the barrel 21 andprovided with inwardly extending lugs 33 arranged to engage the ends 34 of the threads 31 and limit the unthreading action of the pinion. The ends 34 are preferably formed with flat surfaces as illustrated, adapted to, engage the sides of the lugs 33 and form a suitable driving engagement therewith. The barrel 21 is preferably formed with notches 36 adapted to receive the intermediate portions of the lugs 33 whereby these lugs form keys for directly transmitting the rotation of the barrel 21 to pinion 27 when the ends 34 of the threads engage said lugs.

In orderto retain the thimble 32 on the barrel 21, radial openings 37 and 38 are formed in the thimble and barrel respectivel ,and pins 39 are arranged to seat in said openings and key the members together. The openings 37 are preferably made larger than the openings 38 whereby the pins 39 may be provided with shoulders 41 adapted to bear against the outer surface ofthe barrel 21 and prevent inward displacement of said pins.

Y Means are provided for normally maintaining the pinion 27 in its extended position with respect to the barrel 21 as illustrated in Figs 1 and 4, in order that longitudinal motion of the barrel 21 maybe transmitted to the pinion 27 to mesh the same with the engine member 18. As illustrated, this means is in the form of one or more detent members 42 seated in radial openings 43 in the barrel 21, and projecting slightly within the interior surface of said barrel, the amount of such projection being limited by the shoulders44 on said detent. The pinion .27 is provided with shallow longitudinal channels 46 (Fig. 5) arranged to register with the detents 42 when the pinion is in its extendedposition, and having bevelled shoulders 47 adapted to engage said detents and resist the inward threading motion of the pinion.

In Fig. 6 there is illustrated a single detent 42, and the angle of the shoulders 47 is shown as approximately thirty degrees from the bottoms of channels 46, but it will be understood that the number of detents used, and the inclination of shoulders 47 may be varied-to secure thedesired results. It will be seen that the detent or detents 42 yieldingly resist the rotation of pinion 27 away from its normal position, so that a suitable torque applied tothe pinion is re-' quired to overcome this resistance and thread the pinion back into the barrel.

3 Due to the angularity of the threads, how

ever, a comparatively great amount of longitudinal pressure on the pinion is required to overcome the detents and force the pinion back into the barrel,.so that as far as longiretracted position to its normal position is not materially hindered by the detents 42 since the pinion is provided with gradually inclined surfaces 48 extending from the end of the threaded portion toward the shoulders 47, and the detents 42 are arranged to ride up on the inclined surfaces 48 during such return motion of the pinion 27. Springs 49 are provided for yieldingly pressing inward the detents 42, said springs being arranged to traverse openings 50 in thimble 32, which openings register with opening 43 when the parts are in assembled position.

Manually operablemeans for shifting the assembly in a direction to mesh the pinion 27 is provided inthe form of a sleeve 51 slidably mounted at one end on the thimble 32, and having an inwardly extending flange 52 adapted to slide on the opposite end of the barrel21. Sleeve 51 is provided with a radial flange 53 adapted to be engaged by suitable manual shifting means here illustrated as a shifting fork 54 pivoted at 56 to the housing 16 and having at its upper end a lug 57 arranged to engage a switch plunger 58 and close the starting switch 59 for energizing the motor 10 when the fork has been swung to the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. Actuating means for the fork 54 are indicated in the form of a link 61 which may be connected to any suitable form of manual operating means, and a spring 62 for returning the fork to its normal position as illustrated in Fig. l.

The shifting sleeve 51 is arranged to yieldingly transmit its longitudinal motion to the pinion assembly by means of a spring 63 inclosedtherein and bearing at one end against the flange 52 and at the other end against the edge of the thimble 32. It will be noted that in all operative positions of the sleeve 51, it encloses the thimble 32 and locks the pins 39 and the detent springs 49 against outward radial movement.

Manually operable means for shifting the barrel 21 back to its normal position is provided in the form of a second sleeve 64 mounted on the sleeve 51, having an inwardly extending flange 66 arranged to be clamped between the end of the barrel 21 and a radial flange 67 formed on the collar 19. The sleeve 64 has a radial flange 68 extending parallel to the flange 53 on the sleeve 51 and adapted to be engaged by the sleeve being urged against the spring 63. v

In order to assemble the device, the thimble 32 is first run on to the'central portion of the pinion 27 the pinion is then threaded into the barrel 21, the thimble'32 is placed on the end of the barrel 21, and locked in position by the pins 39. Detents 42 and springs 49 are inserted, spring 63 is placed on the barrel 21, sleeve 51 is mounted on said barrel and drawn over the thimble 32, sleeve 64 is placed on sleeve 51, collar 19 is inserted within the barrel 21 against the flange 66 of sleeve 64, and pins 22 are inserted from the inside of the collar 19 into the registering openings 23 and 24. When the sleeve 51 is released, the pressure of the spring 63 maintains the pins 22 in position so that the assembly can be handled as a unit, or the pins 22 may if desired have a light press fit in the openings 23 and/or 24. hen theassembly is slid upon the power shaft 11, the pins 22 are locked thereby against inward displacement and the parts are thus completely locked in assembled position.

In the operation of the device, starting with the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1, movement of the shifting fork 54 in a counter-clockwise direction by means of the link 61 causes the assembly to be shifted into the flange 66 by theposition illustrated in Fig. 2, where the pinion 27 is meshed wlth the engine member 18. The final motion of the shifting fork 54 causes closure of the starting switch and consequent energization' of the motor 10. Rotation of the power shaft is transmitted through the splined connection 12 to the collar 19, through pins 22 to barrel 21, through lugs 33 to the ends 34 of the pinion threads whereby the pinion is rotated to crank the engine. 7

Y'Vhen the engine starts, the engine member 18 overruns and forcibly rotates the pin ion 27 faster than the barrel 21, overcoming the resistance of the detents 42 and causing the pinion to be threaded back within the barrel until stopped by the shoulder 69 formed by the end of the splined portion 12 of power shaft 11, as illustrated in Fig. 3. hen the operator releases the shifting fork 54, the starting switch is opened and the barrel 21 is moved back by the shifting sleeve 64 to its normal position. During this backward shifting movement, the inner end of pinion 27 bears against the shoulder 69 on the power shaft 11 which prevents backward longitudinal motion of the pinion and forces it to rotate on said shaft while the barrel 21 moves backward until the parts resume their normal positions as shown in Fig. 1. This backward rotation is substantially unimpeded by the detents 42 by virtue of the inclined surfaces 48 on said pinion as heretofore set forth.

gine member 18, so that-further longitudinal movement of the pinion'isobstructed, the

spring 63 is arranged to yield. as shown in Fig. 4 andallow the shifting fork to close the starting switch 59. During this action, the pinion'27 is pressed firmly against the engine member 18 by virtue of the action of the detents 42 which resist the tendency of the piniont-o telescope within the barrel 21. As soon as the starting switch 59 is closed, the power shaft 11 is rotated by the motor 10, thus causing the'teeth 28 of the pinion 27 to be indexed into proper registry with the tooth spaces of the engine member 18, whereupon the spring 63 snapsthe pinion 27 into engagement with the engine member and cranking of the engine takes place as usual.

I It will be seen that there is here providedv a device which accomplishes the various objects above'setforth, but it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the. arrangement and proportions of the parts shown and described and certain features thereof might be used without other features thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.- VVhat is claimed is -1. In a starting mechanism for-internal combustion engines, a power shaft, a driving member slid-ably mountedthere'on for movement into and out off-engagement with a member of an engine to be started, an actu-' ating member, cooperating means on said driving and actuating members including an inclined connection and a yielding detent whereby longitudinal movement of the actuating member is positively transmitted to the driving member when the parts are in their normal driving relative positions, said means allowing substantially unimpeded relative longitudinal movement toward their normal positions.

2111 a' starting mechanism for internal.

'3. In a starting mechanism for internal combustion en ines, a power shaft, a collar splmed thereon, a barrel mounted at one end on said collar, meansfor connecting the collar and barrel, said means being retained in position by the shaft when said members are mounted thereon, and a driving member driven by said barrel and movable thereby into and out of driving engagement with a member of the engine to be started.

4.. Starting mechanism for internal combustion engines including a power shaft, a collar splined thereon, a driving member loosely mounted on said shaft, an actuating member mounted on said collar and threaded to said driving member, and means extending outwardly from said collar for connecting the same to said actuating member, said shaft serving to maintain the connecting means in assembled position.

5. Starting mechanism for internal combustion engines including a power shaft, a pinion loosely mounted on said shaft, a collar splined on said shaft, a barrel member mounted at one end on said collar and rotatably connected to said pinion, said collar having a radial openingtherethrough, said barrel having a smaller radial opening adapted to register therewith, and a stepped pin adapted to fit both said openings and lock the parts together.

6. In a starting mechanism for internal combustion engines, a power shaft, an actuating member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith, a driving member loosely mounted on said shaft, means for connecting said driving member and said actuating member, and shifting means for said actuating member, said connecting means being locked in operative position by said shifting means.

7. Starting mechanism for internal combustion engines including a driving member, an actuating member connected thereto, a retaining member for maintaining said connection, means extending inwardly from said retaining member for connecting the same to said actuating member and shifting means for the actuating member surrounding said retaining member and maintaining the connecting means in assembled position.

8. Starting mechanism for internal combustion engines including a power shaft, a barrel member having a splined connection therewith, a pinion loosely mounted on said shaft and threaded within said barrel member, a thimble on said barrel member having inwardly extending lugs adapted to engage and drive the pinion, a pin extending radially through the thimble and barrel and having a shoulder limiting the inward movement thereof, and a shifting sleeve incircling the thimble and retaining the pin in operative position.

9. Starting mechanism for internal combustion engines, including a power shaft, a barrel member having a splined connection therewith, a pinion loosely mounted on said shaft and threaded within said barrel member, a thimble fixed on said barrel having inwardly extending lugs adapted to engage and drive the pinion, said pinion having a shoulder formed thereon, and a detent mounted in said'barrel adapted to extend inwardly and engage said shoulder to restrain the pinion from rotary movementin the barrel away from normal position;

10. In. a starting mechanism for internal combustion engines a power shaft, a collar splined thereon, an internally threaded barrel mounted at one end on said collar, means for connecting the collar and barrel,'said means being'retained in position by the shaft when said members are, mounted thereon,a driving member slidably mounted on the shaft and having a portion threaded in said barrel, means connecting said driving member for rotation with said barrel and means for shifting said barrel, said shifting means being arranged to retain said latter connecting means in operative position when the parts are in assembled position.

11. In a starting mechanism for internal combustion engines a power shaft, a-collar splined thereon, an internally threaded barrel mounted at one end on said collar, means for connecting the collar and barrel, said means being retained in position by the shaft when said members are mounted thereon, a driving member slidablymounted on the shaft. and having a'portion threaded in said barrel, means for retaining said threaded portion in said barrel and connect ing said driving member for rotation with said barrel, means for shifting said barrel, said shifting means being arranged to retain said latter connecting means in operative position when the parts are in assembled position, and means whereby said shifting means is retained in position by the mounting of the barrel on the collar.

12. In a starting mechanism for internal combustion engines, a power shaft, a collar splined thereon, an internally threaded barrel mounted at one end on said collar, means for connecting the collar and barrel, said means being retained in position by the shaft when said members are mounted thereon, a driving member slidably mounted on the shaft and having a portion threaded in said barrel, means connecting said driving member for rotation with said barrel and means for shifting said barrel, said shifting'mcan's being arranged to retain said latter connecting means in operative position when the parts are in assembled position, means for yield ingly connecting the shifting means to said barrel, and means for holding the shifting means on said barrel, said holding means being retained in position by the mounting of the barrel on the collar.

13. In a starting mechanism for internal combustion engines,'a power shaft, a collar splined thereon, an internally threaded barrel mounted at one end onsaid collar, means for connecting the collar and barrel, said means being retained in position by the shaft when said members are mounted thereon, a driving member slidably mounted on the shaft and having a portion threaded in said barrel, means connecting said driving member for rotation with said barrel, yielding means for opposing rotary movement of the driving member in the barrel, means for shifting said barrel, said yielding means being retained in position by said shifting means when the parts are in assembled position;

14. A starter drive including a power shaft, apinion adapted to be mounted thereon to engage and drive a, member of the engine to be started, manually operable means for shifting the pinion into driving engagement, means for automatically retracting the pinion from the engine member when the engine starts, manually operable means for moving the shifting means to normal position, and connecting means for said parts so arranged that assembly of each unit locks the previously assembled unit in position, and mounting of the assembly on the shaft locks the entire assembly together.

15. A starter drive including apower shaft, a pinion adapted to be mounted thereon to engage and drive a member of the engine to be started, a collar splined to said shaft, a barrel member mounted on said collar at one end and threaded to said pinion at the other, a thimble on said barrel having driving connection with said pinion, a radially disposed pin connecting the barrel and thimble, a manually shiftable sleeve surrounding the thimble and serving to retain said pin, a connection between said sleeve and thimble for moving the thimble and barrel from the sleeve in a direction to engage the pinion with the engine member, a second manually shiftable sleeve mounted at one end on said first sleeve and at the other end on said collar, said collar having a flange, adapted to clamp the end of said second sleeve against said barrel member and a radial pin holding the collar and barrel member in assembled relation.

16. In starting mechanism for internal combustion engines, a power shaft, a driving member slidably mounted thereon for movement into and out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, an actuating member splined on said power shaft, said actuating and driving members having an inclined connection whereby relative longitudinal movement causes relative rotary movement therebetween, yielding detent members cooperating with said inclined connection for preventing the driving member from being pressed longitudinally away from its normal driving position with respect to the actuating member, means for tion with the actuating member by move-- ment of the actuating member back to idle position, said yielding means being arranged to readily permit this return movement.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification. V

' YOUSTON SEKELLA. 

